9.5.1812

Afsender

C.F. Høyer

Afsendersted

København

Modtager

Bertel Thorvaldsen

Modtagersted

Rom

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Ingen udskrift.

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Dokument

Kiøbenhavn d. 9de Maj 1812.

Min kiære gode Thrsn! Det har været mig særdeles behagelig at modtage vores fælles Vens Brev af 20.de Mart; Jeg har deraf erfaret det ieg saa længe har ønsket at viide, nemlig hvorledes De lever – har ieg saaledes længe maattet være urolig formedelst Uvisheden om Deres Velbefindende, Vil ieg ved at takke Dem ret inderlig for meddeelte Efterretninger bede: at De en anden Gang ikke forsømmer at skrive; Thi fra min Side kan De immer være vis paa Svar, ligesom enhver Commission De vil betro mig skal blive forrettet med Glæde og inderligste Interesse; Af vor gode Mallings Brev seer ieg at De ikke har modtaget mit Brev af 22.de Jan: Dets Indhold var i egentlig Forstand af liden Interesse At ieg ikke havde til Dato havt Aarsag at glæde mig ved min Hiemkomst nemlig man taler her poetisk om de skønne Konsters blide Skiæbne, og handler prosaisk naar man ikke vil unde nogen Konstner Føden; – At ieg har tabt Deres Sag hos Vedkommende – At Trn: har opført sig som en Esel imod mig, og at ieg bad Dem om De vilde have den Godhed at bevidne: at ieg har opholdt mig i Rom eene og alleeneste fordi ieg havde paataget mig at gelejde Trms Svigermoder og Svigerinde hertil – Desuden bad ieg Dem at De ikke vilde forsømme at give mig skriftlig Fuldmagt til hvad De vilde at ieg skulde besørge for Dem, Hvad ieg meere meddeelte Dem var ligegylgigere Ting. – Da ieg veed De immer med inderlig Deeltagelse spørger til mit Vel – Vil ieg førend ieg nævner om andet fortælle Dem; de behageligste som er hændet mig siden min Hiemkomst: og dette er nemlig at en privat Mand ved at see mine Arbeider har for faa Dage siden bestilt et stort Malerie hos mig, hvem Manden er veed ieg ikke – Men Børs Comissairen Cap. Widt er Commissionairen; Sysiettet er overladt til mig selv. Maleriet skal anbringes i Børs-Salen /: som for: nærværende Tiid ved vores Ven Hornbeck udviides og istandsættes; mere her om en anden Gang. – Ved Academiets UdstillingI = 31.de Marts giorde mine Arbeider almindelig Lykke især talte alle om Socrates, men mine Ossianske vare man mindre tilfredse med som ieg anseer for et slet Omen; Dog bør ieg ikke forbiegaae at meddeele Dem at Kongen haver skiænkket mine Arbeider sit allerhøyeste Bifald, sagde i min Nærværelse adskillige Complimenter og at han vilde kiøbe Socrates, Hero og de tvende af Ossian. – Her vil De nu spørge min kiære gode Thrsn hvad man haver betalt mig for nævnte Malerier – Jeg svarer: endnu veed ieg intet – bisogn[e]rà di stare attende. Jeg tviler ikke om Kongens Velvillighed ikke heller om Pr Chr: ieg skal en anden Gang sige Dem meere ifald det kunde [lade] sig giøre. – I det heele har ieg virkelig havt mange Ubehageligheder medens ieg har været hiemme, men ieg har ikke giort regning paa andet og der skal derfore meget til at fælde mig – Min største Glæde skulde det være mig, om ieg end[nu en] Gang igien kunde samles med Dem min beste Ven, dette Ønske nærer ieg immer, skønt Udsigterne dertil ere kuns maadelige i dette barbariske Seculum; De tillader mig at ieg her ved denne Lejlighed bebyrder Dem med en Efterretning som ikke svarer til Ønsket! nemlig angaaende den meddeelte Anfordring paa Bielcke – Længe formedelst dennes Fraværelse fik ieg ingen Svar endelig fik ieg Svarret nemlig Anviisning paa R-Thott og endelig efter at have skrevet ham flere Gange til erholdet hans Svar af følgende Indhold: Jeg overlader Figuren Hebe til Professor Thorvaldsens Raadighed, kuns med den Forbeholdenhed, at de af Dem udbetalte 200 ScudR: af Thorvaldsen igien tilbage betales Dem, da ieg derimod ganske renoncerer paa de 200 Scud som ieg betalte ham i Rom. R: Thott. Af denne Tildragelse med nævnte Baron, har ieg paa egen haand taget mig den Frihed alvorlig at tale Deres Sag saa vel hos den eene som hos anden; Men ieg har formærket: visse Herrer finde sig i alt – NB:/ Jeg tror om mig selv at naar ieg vil giøre mig umage at jeg ved et Brev kan giøre mig forstaaelig, Jeg har med alt dette ikke været istand til at erholde noget bestemt Svar Nemlig ieg har giort Commissionen for Slottets Bygning følgende Forslag: Formedelst Baron Thotts Ubestemthed at forskaffe Slottet en Figur af vores Thorvaldsen, og en stakkels Enke til hendes Tilgodehavende. Jeg yttrede: At ieg vidste at Commissionen for Slottets Bygning skylde Dem Penge, og at De følgelig paa min Anmodning var villigere til at give mig Anviisning paa Commissionen, end at De vilde bebyrde mig med at stevne R: Thott. Jeg haver paa Grund her af foreslaget Cmssn: at udbetale mig de 200 ScR: og det Resterende paa Deres Anfordring /: Jeg har sagt at ieg ikke vidste rettere: end at De havde tilstaaet Baron Thott Figuren Hebe for Summen 600 ScudR: / Om De ved denne Lejlighed er tilfreds med mig min kiære Thorsn veed ieg ikke, imidlertiid er ieg overbeviist med mig selv at have handlet efter bes[te] Overlæg og skønnende; Ifald De saa syntes kunde De give mig Anviisning paa Commissionen, og Fuldmagt, til at forhandle Figuren; – Hvad der kommer ud af det veed ieg naturligviis ikke – Men at De ikke har en sikkrere Commissionair end mig indestaar ieg Dem fore. – Men at De er saa god at meddeele mig Svar saasnart mulig beder ieg paa den stakkels Madam Wahls Vegne – At meddeele Dem Underretning om Academiet vilde maaske ikke være Dem ganske uden Interesse, dersom egentlig at der var noget derom at sige – De veed at man har nedlagt en Prof[e]ssor Bolig – dette kalder man at udvide Academiet – Academiet Skoler som før var mørkegraa have nu en Leerfarve og ere lyse [resten mangler.]

[i margen side 1:]

NB: Skulde det hende sig at De formedelst Deres Godhed for mig, skulde kunde forskaffe mig noget Arbejde – Da beder ieg Dem at De for alt Ting skriver directe til mig selv der om.

Oversættelse af dokument

Copenhagen, May 9th 1812

My dear good Thrsn! It has been very pleasant to me to receive the letter from our mutual friend of March 20th; From it I have learnt what for a long time I have wished to know, namely how you are – if for so long I have had to be worried because of uncertainty about your health, I will by thanking you sincerely for your information ask you: that you do not neglect writing another time; For on my part you may always be certain of an answer, just as any commission you may assign to me will be executed with pleasure and sincere interest. From our kind Malling’s letter, I see that you have not received my letter of January 22nd: Its content was actually of little interest. That to date I had had no reason to rejoice at my homecoming. Here they speak poetically about the kind fate of the fine arts and act prosaically when they begrudge an artist his food. – That I have lost your case with the person concerned. – That Trn has behaved badly towards me and that I asked you to be so kind as to testify: that I have stayed in Rome only because I had undertaken to escort Trm’s mother in law and sister in law to this place. – Besides, I asked you not to neglect to give me power of attorney to what you wanted me to do for you. What else I wrote to you were more unimportant matters. – As I know you always ask about my welfare – I shall tell you before I mention other things; the most pleasant thing that has happened to me since my arrival home: and this is that a private person on seeing my works a few days ago has commissioned a large painting from me, who this person is I do not know – but the Commissary from the exchange Cap. Widt is the commission agent; The theme has been left to me. The painting is to be placed in the Exchange Hall /: which: at present is being extended and restored by our friend Hornbeck; more about this some other time. – At the Academy’s exhibition = March 31st my works were successful in general, especially everyone talked about Socrates, but my Ossian paintings gave less satisfaction, which I consider a bad omen; However, I should not pass over to tell that the King has given my works his highest approval, he paid several compliments in my presence and said that he would buy Socrates, Hero and the two of Ossian. – Here you will ask, my dear Thrsn, what I have been paid for the mentioned paintings. – I answer: I still know nothing – bisognerà di stare attende. I do not doubt the King’s good will, neither of Prince Christian’s: another time I shall tell you more if it could be possible. – On the whole, I have really had many troubles while I have been at home, but I have not reckoned it differently, so it takes something to knock me down. – My greatest pleasure would be if once again I could be with you my best friend, this I always desire though the prospects for it are merely mediocre in this barbaric speculum; Permit me on this occasion to give you some information, which does not answer this wish! Namely regarding the said demand on Bielcke. – For long because of his absence I received no answer; finally I did receive the answer namely direction to R-Thott and eventually after having written to him several times I got his letter with following content: I give the figure Hebe to professor Thorvaldsen’s disposal, with the only reservation that the 200 scudi paid by you will again be repaid to you by Thorvaldsen, whereas I completely dispense with the 200 scudi which I paid him in Rome. R:Thott. From this incident with the mentioned Baron I have independently taken the liberty sincerely to plead your cause with one as well as the other; But I have noticed: some gentlemen put up with anything. – NB:/I think about myself that when I take pains I can make myself intelligible in a letter. With all this I have not been able to get any decided answer. Namely I have made the following proposal to the Building Commission for Christiansborg Palace: Because of Baron Thott’s vagueness to procure a figure by our Thorvaldsen for the palace, and for a poor widow to repay her. I observed: That I knew that the Building Commission for Christiansborg Palace owes you money and that you according to my request were more prepared to give me instructions to the Commission than to encumber me with taking out a summons against R: Thott. For this reason I have suggested to the Commission to pay me the 200 scudi and the rest on your demand /: I have said that I did know nothing but that you had granted the figure Hebe to Baron Thott for the sum of 600 scudi:/ whether on this occasion you are satisfied with me, my dear Thorsn, I do not know, however, I am convinced that I have acted on due deliberation and judgment; In case you think so could you give me an instruction to the Commission and an authority to negotiate about the figure; – Of course I do not know what will come out of it. – But I can assure you that you have no safer commission agent than me. – But on behalf of the poor Madam Wahl I ask you to be so kind as to give me an answer as soon as possible. – It would perhaps not be without interest to you to tell you about the Academy, if there was actually anything to tell. – You know that a professor’s residence has been abolished – they call it extending the Academy. – The schools of the Academy, which used to be dark grey now have a colour like clay and are light [the rest is missing.]

[In the margin page 1 :]

NB: If because of your kindness to me you would be able to get me some work – Then I ask you above all things to write directly to me about it.

Arkivplacering

m3 1812, nr. 15

Emneord

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Kommentarer

  1. Jf. Fortegnelse over de ved det Kongelige Maler- Billedhugger og Bygnings-Academie udstillede Kunst-Sager, København 1812. kat.nr. 1-8, samt referenceartiklen Kunstakademiets udstillinger.

Sidst opdateret 25.08.2019